Knitting machine design guide



.21, 1937. L. R. TREIN'IS 2 078,

KNITTING MACHINE DESIGN GUIDE Patented Apr. 27, 1937 UNITED STAT ESPATENT OFFICE 9 Claims.

This invention relates to pattern guidesv or design cards for use withtextile machinery; more particularly, to. a pattern guide or designcards for textile operations in connection with knitting machines.

It is an object of my invention to provide a pattern guide or designcards which outline designs or patterns corresponding to some unit to berepeated in ornamental textile fabrics, as by knitting operations,wherein the fabric design is progressively built up by interweavingcontrasting colored threads as each course is added to the other, inmaking up a length of material.

It is contemplated by my invention, in its preferred form, to provide aseries of pattern cards and design guides which outline the design infragmentary form, the fragments corresponding to some group of needlesof a Jacquard knitting machine and outlining along predeterminedsectors. corresponding to the courses of the knitting machine, the colorchange which will constitute the completed unit of design. Thus, inaccordance with the preferred form of my invention. wherein patterns ordesigns are normally arranged upon so-called graph paper, to indicatetothe operator of the Jacquard machines the color changes of the threadas each course is built up, the pattern or design is outlined infragmentary form upon a series of cards which, together, constitute thepattern or design heretofore outlined upon graph paper, serving on theone hand as a means to readily visualize the completed design, as hasbeen previously done on graph paper, and on the other hand, to permitreallocation of these: fragments to assist in the formulation of newdesigns, due to the relative variation in position of the fragments asthey may bechanged by the various positioning of the card elements onwhich they are shown. It is still further contemplated by my inventionto provide a series of designs: or patterns, outlined in fragmentaryform, corresponding to either the horizontals or verticals of graphpaper used in formulating designs, to act as a guide for the colorchange of a textile machine whereby by an interchange of the cards uponwhich the fragments are mounted, a master design may be changed tocreate innumerable new designs.

It is still further contemplated by my invention to have the cards uponwhich fragments of a design are mounted, the series of which serves as aunitary design, utilized as a guide for laying out or arranging themechanism of the textile machine, such as a knitting machine and thepattern control mechanism thereof, to thereby facilitate and expeditethe setting of the machine for fabricating textile material withornamental patterns.

Still further objects of my invention reside in the provision of aseries of cards, which may be arranged to positions corresponding to theverticals or horizontals of graph or section paper utilized by designersfor laying out patterns for textile ornamentation, by arranging thecards to expose an edge of a width substantially equal tothat of thesections of the graph or section paper and provided with cross linescorresponding to the verticals or horizontals of graph or section paperto thus assemble, in fragmentary form, the. equivalent of the graph orsection paper, and upon this composite outline some master design,preferably of a geometrical configuration, and after predeterminedlypositioning these cards in the series, indiscriminately rearrange thecards to thereby create innumerable designs ordinarily beyond theimagination of the designer.

It is another object of my invention to provide a series of units in theform of cards, corresponding in number to the needles of a single repeatof a Jacquard knitting machine and having at the edge portion of theunits or the cards transverse markings whereby the units may be spacedin edge over-lapping position to constitute, with the transversemarkings, the equivalent of graph or section paper used for outlining adesign and upon the exposed edge of the cards so spaced and providedwith transverse markings, illustrate a master design, preferably of somegeometrical configuration, which will then serve, on the one hand, as aguide to arrange the machine mechanism for duplicating this design and,on the other hand, permit the interchange of position of the units insome orderly manner or irregular manner, to thereby create designs whichwill permit the machine mechanism to be reused without incurring anyadditional expense in providing the parts necessary for the textilemachine to reproduce the newly created pattern or design.

Other objects of my invention reside in the provision of design cards,particularly useful for textile workers, which will, upon the outliningof an original design, permit the ready creation of other new andoriginal designs without resortto the artistic, creative power of thedesigner but by accidental or predetermined rearrangement of fragmentaryportions of the design, in relation to each other.

To attain these objects and such further objects as may appear herein orbe hereinafter pointed out, I make reference to the accompanyingdrawings forming a part hereof, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of aseries of cards embodying one form of my invention;

Figure 2 is an end elevation thereof; Figure 2a is a fragmentaryenlargement of Figure 2;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the cards shown in Figure 1rearranged to illustrate another design;

Figure 4 is a plan view of a unit of the series of cards embodyinganother form of my invention;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary plan view showin my invention as applied as aguide for a butt cutting mechanism for a Jacquard knitting machine;

Figure 6 is a section taken on the line 6 B of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a plan view of a butt element cut by the mechanism shown inFigures 5 and 6.

Making reference to the drawings, in its simplest form, I provide aseries of cards I 0, in number, as will appear more clearly as thisdescription proceeds, depending upon the application of my device to theparticular field, such as the textile field and such branches of thetextile field utilizing knitting machines or the like. In the embodimentillustrated, thirty six cards are provided, on one face whereof II thereare provided transverse lines 12, equi-distantly arranged and extendingto the edge I3 of each card. This face also includes a portion M whichis devoted to indicia outlining the number of the card in the series. Inthe form illustrated, where I utilize thirty six cards, the space M oneach of the cards has indicia afiixed thereto to identify the number ofthe card in the series. Ordinarily the cards .are of equal size, asshown more clearly by the outline in Figure 2.

For purposes of reference, in my preferred form, the cards are stackeddiagonally, to have the edges l3 of one card successively hidethe cardimmediately below and expose only a portion ,or strip l5. It ispreferred that this strip 15 so exposed be equal in width to thetransverse or vertical section lines I2, previously referred to. It willbe observed that in this position the spaces l5 and the lines l2 are ina position to make up the horizontals and verticals corresponding tothose of graph or section paper and thereby define a number of sectionsequal thereto. It is preferred that the section lines l2 be equivalentin number to the number of cards, thereby providing a square unit whenthe cards are stacked as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Upon the sectioned area formed by the exposed edges of the cards and thesection lines I2, I may outline a master. design A, preferably of simplegeometric configuration, and this is only so made for purposes ofillustrating the present invention. Here the shaded portions which aresectioned to represent colors (and in the present instance the redshading is represented) define a design or pattern, each card,particularly at the space l5 thereof, carrying a fragment of the entiredesign. The master design A, as now made, may be changed at will byrearranging the cards, not in the order outlined by the indicia in theportion 14, but in irregular arrangement. InFigure 3 I have illustrateda rearrangement of these cards.

For purposes of reference, in Figure 1 the cards identified as 1l3 havebeen grouped as a; cards 1418 have been identified as. a. The next groupof cards, numbered from 1923 have been identified as group b and thegroup numbered from 24-36 have been identified as b. Instead ofretaining the original order of the groups as a, a, b, b, the cards inFigure 3 have been rearranged so that the groups now lie in position asfollows a, b, a, b.

When so grouped and the cards have been again stacked in echelon toexpose a small portion of the card corresponding to the width of thesections l2, a new design B will be obtained, all from the same elementsand fragmentary designs outlined upon the cards illustrated in Figure 1.

Other changes may be made at will and new and original patterns createdmerely by rearranging the relative position of the series of cards. Anynumber of groups of cards may be rearranged to get a multitude of newdesigns and these will have a general symmetrical form if theprogressive series be rearranged according to some definite division ofthe entire number of the cards in the series. Thus, symmetrical cardswill be obtained if the cards in the example illustrated, having thirtysix elements, be divided up in groups of six or four or three and eachgroup of such cards be rearranged so that the groups of six bealternated to havegroups 1, 3 and 5 followed by groups 2, 4 and 6, orthe groups of six cards arranged so as to have them appear in the orderof 1, 3, 4, 6, 5, 2. I

The same may be done with the division of the groups into four cards,nine cards or the like or as in the form illustrated in Figure 3, anunequal alternation of symmetrical portions of the design. Therearrangement is without limitation and when symmetrically arranged,will form a single repeat readily applicable for all manner of textileoperations and particularly knitting operations, as will be readilyunderstood by those skilled in the art. Irregular rearrangement of thecards will also form new designs which, in their entirety, may be usedas a single repeat for patterns in manufacturing, or which may suggestfragmentary portions which may be utilized, in which event, theremainder of the design may be discarded and the single fragmentaryportion repeated in accordance with the nature of the fabric that ismanufactured.

In my preferred form. the size of the spaced portions l2 andaccordingly, also, the arrangement of the cards in echelon, is such sothat when the design is affixed thereon, it will be small enough toblend the various fragments thereon. However, the spacings l2 and theoverlap portions of the card may be enlarged to any desired degree tohave instead of a 16 or 32 spacing to the inch, a smaller number or alarger number.

The edge of the card l3, carrying the fragmentary design, may be useddirectly as a guide for cutting out or arranging the mechanism of thetextile machine, in accordance with the means employed for weaving,plaiting or otherwise producing the color ornamented fabric with thepattern previously arranged. In this respect, my

invention has particular utility with Jacquard knitting machines,particularly the circular type for making fancy hosiery employingdiagonal pattern mechanism and one which will produce any stripe,vertical or diagonal, or any figure where reverse plaiting is controlledby a pattern jack upon a patterning drum. The pattern drum includes anumber of butts corresponding to the number of needles of the knittingmachine bed. These butts control the dial jacks which, in turn, controlthe sinkers in the sinker head, reversing the yarn. In this form ofknitting machine, one revolution of the Jacquard pattern drum corre--spondsto one knitted course on the cylinder of the needle bed. Machinesof this type have been introduced on the market by the Hemphill Companyand is particularly applicable to the Banner type of Jacquard knittingmachine.

In Figure '7, a butt of the character used in connection with the abovedescribed knitting machine is illustrated, and Figures 5 and 6 disclosea butt cutting machine. The cards heretofore described, which constitutethe essential features of my invention, are particularly applicable as aguide for arranging the cutters of a butt cutting machine so that thetines remaining on the butts correspond substantially to the points onthe design paper or on the finished goods representing the coloredthread. The butt cutting machine illustrated in Figures 5 and 6comprises two spaced end plates 30 and 3!, connected with a base 32,bridged by guides 33 and 34, between which are arranged cutters 35 forslidable movement. A rear lug 36 limits the forward movement whereas afront lug 3'! limits the backward movement. In the normal position, thecutters are all moved back against the upper guide 33, until the frontlug 31 engages the lower frontal guide 34. These cutters are arranged innumber corresponding to the tines on the butts and in accordance withthe present capacity of the machine, these butts may be provided withtines running up to 48 in number, as at present designed.

Though the notches I 5b as formed in the card Ha may serve as guides inarranging the butt cutting machine, to pull out all of the cutters fromthe normal position except those corresponding to the notches 15b, I mayautomatically arrange the cutters by pressing the card to the reverseend of the cutters adjacent the end 36, and pressing all of the cuttersfrom the normal position, which operation will forwardly press all ofthe cutters except those falling in the notches l5b. The illustration asused shows this form of adjusting the cutters reverse to the actualdesired position merely for illustration of this latter described methodof adjusting the cutters and has been done in order to simplify theillustration.

It has been the practice heretofore to provide each of these cutters atthe upper edge with a finger engaging notch 38 and pull the sameforwardly, as shown in Figure 6, for positioning the same in closeproximity to a butt holding roll 39, mounted between the end plates 30and 3 I. immediately in front of the cutters. This roller has a slot 40into which there may be mounted the rear edge 41 of a butt strip,exposing only the tines 42 thereof. The roll 39 is provided at one end3911 with an operating lever 39b whereby proper turning leverage may beexerted upon the roller 39. It will be observed that any number ofcutters 35 may be drawn out of the normal aligned position and in closeproximity to the roller 39, these cutters being arranged in accordancewith the tines to be left remaining to constitute thereby controlelements of some colored thread plaiting operation, modifying theoperation of the machine for plaiting the threads as each course isknitted upon the machine, as will be readily understood by those skilledin the art. After a proper arrangement of the cutters, the roll 39 isrotated in reference to the cutters 35, which serve to sever the tinesfrom the butt strip.

In accordance with the practice heretofore adopted, these cutters arearranged from a nu merical value derived from a design paper. In

' accordance with my present invention, each card constitutes a guidefor outlining the butt or any number of repeats thereof, in accordancewith the number of repeats in the pattern of this card, and instead ofresorting to the heretofore laborious process of transferring fromdesign paper the relative position of the cutters, the edge of the cardl3, including the fragmentary design may be affixed in close proximityto the butt cutting machine and thereby quickly and conveniently pullout the desired cutters.

In the device illustrated, a shaft 43, mounted between the end plates 30and 3!, carrying a lug 44, along the length thereof serves to engage therear lug 3B of any forwardly projecting cutter and when revolved in acounter-clockwise direction, reposition the cutters out of cuttingposition. Where the cards containing the fragmentary portions of thedesign or pattern are to be used as guides in connection with the buttcutting ma chine for a Jacquard knitting machine of the character abovedescribed, the relative size of the cards may be such as to correspondsubstantially to the width of the butt cutting machine. However, inorder to retain the blending effect due to small sectional lines,corresponding to cross section paper of sixteen or less to the inch, inanother embodiment of my invention the card elements [Ba have one edge13a of the size heretofore referred to, which will give the blendingeffect by providing the section lines [2a of a number to the inch whichwill give the blending effect. A transverse edge of the card l3b isenlarged to the size corresponding substantially to the general spacingsof the cutters of the butt cutting machine, as shown at [21), and alongthe spacings I2b there is affixed. the identical fragmentary design ashas been affixed upon the edge l3a between the section lines l2a. Theincrease in size of the section 12b affords a direct guide for the buttcutting machine whereas the diminished section lines at Her are usefulwhen the cards are arranged in echelon, as illustrated in Figures 1, 2and 3, in that the diminished size more perfectly blends the fragmentaryportions into a complete, unitary design.

Though I may mark the portion I2b of the edge I32) to correspond to thesection I 211 of the edge 13a, I may, as an alternative, cut notches 15bto indicate the corresponding point marked between the sections In andthe edge l3a. While this may also serve as an index, where the cards aremade of relatively stiff material, such as sheet metal, celluloid or thelike, they may be'used directly to push back all but the desired cuttersin the butt cutting machine, as more clearly shown in Figures 5 and 6.In this manner, the fragmentary design appearing on one edge of the cardnot only acts as a guide for arrangement of the cutters or the mechanismof the textile machinery used for duplicating the pattern, but actuallyserves as a positive template for arranging this mechanism.

Although I have described my invention in connection with a Jacquardknitting machine and illustrated its use by providing as many cards asthere may be needles in a single repeat and sections corresponding tothe courses of a single repeat, the section lines and cards may beequally utilized, not only to outline the operation of the needles forplaiting as the various courses of the knitting machine are knitted butthey may correspondingly be used to arrange the warp and weft of aweaving machine, or the various mechanism for efiecting the color changein any textile machine may be adjusted in accordance with thefragmentary design on. the card and the number of cards constituting asingle repeat and though I have described and illustrated my patternguides or design by the number of sections and cards corresponding toeither the courses and needles of a knitting machine, or warp and weftof a textile fabric, I consider my invention having broader applicationwhere it is desired, from a master design, particlarly of geometricconfiguration, to create innumerable new designs beyond the imaginationof the designer, but merely by the rearrangement of the cards from thepredetermined sequence, which will outline the designs when they areagain arranged in echelon.

In a practical form of my invention, it is contemplated afterdesignating each card by a numeral as shown at the space I4 and I ia inthe embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 and 4, that a correspondingindicia be aflixed upon the butt or butt strip as shown at Ma. In thisWay the butt may be identified by giving it a corresponding number, suchas Al which identifies it with the master design A and card 1 of thisseries. The same is done for every corresponding butt strip that is cutwith the cards. as a guide. After these butt strips are arranged uponthe pattern drum in the Jacquard knitting machine above referred to,they may be reused by an arrangement in accordance with a new series,without the additional expense of new butt strips. Thus it will be seenthat in making butts for the design shown in Figure 1, and termed MasterPattern A, the same butt strips may be arranged to correspond to theorder of position of the cards shown in Figure 3, utilizing the verysame butt strips as were used to make the pattern illustrated in Figure1, and also, after rearrangement of the cards to obtain a still furtherVariation of the master design, the corresponding butt strips may berearranged to immediately, without any further cutting operation, obtainan arrangement of the butts to reproduce this design, merely sorting thebutts out and arranging them into the order of the new series.

In this manner not only have I devised a means for creating any numberof designs from a master pattern but I also facilitate the adjustment ofthe mechanism of the textile machinery necessary to reproduce thesedesigns upon some textile fabric and in addition thereto, particularlyin connection with a knitting machine of the character referred to,effect a great economy in the elements used for setting into operationthe color changing threads of a knitting machine.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claimas new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Design or pattern guides for the use described comprising a series ofcards adapted to be stacked and arranged in echelon thereby exposing asurface strip portion, a fragment of a design repeat on each of saidsurface strip portions of said cards, the assembly of which cards isadapted to be arranged to expose the strips on said cards and representa surface design repeat and the cards being adapted to be re-arrangedand with the strips exposed whereby a new design may be created.

2. Design or pattern guides for the use described comprising a series ofsheet card elements having design fragments formed upon the respectiveelements of the series, the ensemble of which fragments constitutes asurface design which when the fragments are continuously arranged as bystacking in echelon represents part of a composite design structurewhich may fit in continuous arrangement upon a web of fabric as a repeatin an ornamenting process, said fragments of the design impressed uponthe respective sheet elements of the series including completetransverse subdivisions of said design repeat on each of said elements,the elements of the series being adapted to be re-arranged whereby newdesign repeats may be created.

3. Design or pattern guides for the use described comprising a series ofsheet elements having design fragments upon the respective elements ofthe series each sheet element having indicia impressed thereon, wherebythe sheet elements may be stacked in desired progression, the ensembleof which fragments. constitutes a surface design which when thefragments are continuously arranged as by stacking in echelon representspart of a composite design structure which may fit in continuousarrangement upon a web of fabric as a repeat in an ornamenting process,said fragments of the design impressed upon the respective sheetelements of the series including complete transverse subdivisions ofsaid design repeat on each of said elements, the elements of the seriesbeing adapted to be rearranged whereby new design repeats may becreated.

4. Design or pattern guides for the use described, comprising a seriesof sheet card elements corresponding to design control elements of aknitting machine, said card elements having design fragments thereon,the ensemble of which fragments of the series of card elementsrepresents a surface design repeat, the elements including asubstantially full transverse fragment of the design repeat printed uponeach of the elements of the series, the elements of the series beingadapted to be used as guides for arranging the design control elementsof the knitting machines.

5. Design or pattern guides for the use described, comprising a seriesof cards in number substantially equivalent to the needles of a singlerepeat of a knitting operation and having along an edge of each cardlines impressed on said card defining sectional portions correspondingto the respective courses which are knitted into a single repeat, thecards including along said sectional portions transverse fragmentalportions of a surface design distributed over the respective cards ofthe series, the ensemble of which fragmental portions on said series ofcards represents a single repeat of a design, said cards being adaptedto be rearranged whereby to compose a different design.

6. Design or pattern guides for the use described, comprising a seriesof cards adapted to be stacked in echelon, in number substantiallyequivalent to the needles of a single repeat of a knitting operation andhaving along an edge of each respective card markings outliningsectional portions corresponding to the courses which are knitted into asingle-repeat, the respective cards including along said sectionalportions, fragmental portions of a design, the ensemble of whichportions on said strips represents a single repeat of a design, saidcards of the series each including an indicium identifying the order ofthe cards in the series whereby they may be stacked in desiredprogression, whereby correspondingly provided parts of a designcontrolling mechanism of a machine arranged to reproduce a similardesign, and which parts are similarly identified may be arranged incorresponding progression, the cards thus grouped being adapted to berearranged in echelon whereby a new design may be assembled.

7. Design or pattern guides for use in connection with a machine capableof producing fabrics with designs thereon, said machine including aspart of a fabricating assembly a plurality of control elements, saidguides comprising a series of cards in number substantially equivalentto the element of a single repeat of the transverse element of a textilefabric, indicia on said cards to identify them with a transverse designcontrol element of said fabric-forming machine, whereby the cards may bearranged in a desired progression, the respective cards including alongedges thereof fragmental portions of a design along a transverse sectionof said design, said portions being spaced substantially to correspondto the spacing of the respective transverse design control elements ofthe fabric forming machine, the cards being adapted to be stacked andarranged in echelon to expose an assembled design repeat and whereby thecards may then be rearranged in difierent order of progression, torepresent a new design, the indicia serving to identify the designcontrol elements, whereby they may be rearranged to fabricate a fabrichaving a design corresponding to the new arrangement of cards.

8. The new article of manufacture comprising a design control elementconstituting a design control guide for the design operating mechanismand associated elements of a knitting machine,

each element including a portion thereof marked with an indiciumcorresponding to an indicium formed on a series of cards adapted to bestacked, each of which of said cards of said series includes on an edgethereof, a full transverse section of a design, the series of therespective cards constituting a composite design when stacked inechelon, the respective sections being arranged in positioncorresponding to the design control elements of the knitting machine,whereby upon rearrangement of the cards, a new surface design repeatsmay be created in the assembled cards from the transverse section of adesign carried thereby and the design control elements may becorrespondingly rearranged as indicated by the indicia on the cards ofthe series to have the design operating mechanism and associatedelements of the knitting machine arranged to produce the new surfacedesign repeat on the fabric produced by said knitting machine.

9. The new article of manufacture comprising a series of design controlbutts constituting design control guides for dial jacks of a knittingmachine for forming a design repeat, each butt of the series including aportion thereof marked with an indicium corresponding to an indiciumformed on a series of design or pattern guides set forth in claim 3,whereby upon rearrangement of said series of butts in the knittingmachine assembly, the new design repeat may be incorporated in thefabric produced by the knitting machine.

LEONARD R. TREINIS.

